Moulding equipment for the production of castings

ABSTRACT

A mold device produces cast parts, in particular cast parts of complex shape, such as engine blocks, for example with 2 to 8 cylinders arranged in a row, wherein the mold device can be used, in particular, in die casting machines. The mold device has both a movable clamping plate and a permanently fixed clamping plate with movable or permanently fixed mold halves arranged thereon, wherein a water jacket insert or contour insert is placed in the movable mold halves, and the contour insert ( 11 ) is movable linearly.

The invention relates to moulding equipment for the production of castings, in particular of complex shape castings, such as engine blocks with an in-line cylinder arrangement, e.g. 2 to 8 cylinders. The moulding equipment is especially applicable in die casting machines.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,241 reveals a die casting machine for the production of V engine blocks in a mould with a fixed and a mobile mould half. The mobile mould half comprises of a mould cavity and a pin-guided ejector block. On a clamping plate there is an ejector box which can be lifted from it via a double-acting cylinder. The cylinder protrudes the side of the clamping plate not facing the mould.

On the level of the mould cavity, further cylinders are arranged perpendicular to this cylinder on both sides which serve to retract and extend slides.

The ejector box is a massive plate which accommodates part of the cylinder stated first and whose cross section has the form of a trapezoid. On the inclined side walls which have the same angle as the V position of the engine block, there is also a double-acting ejector cylinder each, with inserts for the engine cylinders whose axes would cross in the mould cavity if they were actually elongated. Due to the attachment of these cylinders to the inclined sides, horizontal and vertical force components act on the ejector box when the castings are being ejected.

For opening and closing the mould, further cylinders are required.

A similar moulding and die-casting machine is described in WO 2004/033131 where two further hydraulic cylinders are provided to move the mobile mould half.

This cylinder arrangement also considerably protrudes the side of the mobile mould half not facing the mould.

The described moulds involve a lot of design work and are very large. Therefore an enormous weight must be moved by the die casting machine.

Moulds for casting engine blocks of in-line engines are already known which are equipped with a cooling jacket insert to quickly cool thin-walled interior areas. In these moulds, the water jacket and/or its insert are exposed to the molten metal too long, which means that the respective service life is low and/or irregular and they must already be replaced after 5000 to 15000 shots which is time and cost consuming.

The invention is consequently based on the task of creating moulding equipment for the production of castings, in particular of complex castings, such as engine blocks of in-line engines allowing the replacement of specific inserts such as water jacket inserts with less time being required.

The task is solved by the characteristics of patent claim 1. The water jacket insert (with sleeves) is executed as a slide which is releasably connected with the machine ejector.

The invention is based on the actually known findings that a longer service life of a water jacket insert can only be achieved if it has less contact with the cooling molten metal as this will lead to lower repair costs.

This can be achieved by means of a simpler tool design and shorter extracting periods which again lead to shorter cycle times and higher productivity.

Preferred embodiments are revealed in the subclaims.

Another task consist in creating a procedure for removing water jacket inserts from moulds for in-line engines or the like which enable to quickly replace the water jacket inserts.

In the following, the invention is described in more detail in an embodiment example by means of a drawing. The drawing

FIG. 1 shows a closed mould

and the drawing

FIG. 2 shows an open mould.

A vertically arranged moulding equipment of a die casting machine comprises of a fixed clamping plate 1 with a fixed mould half 2 and a mobile clamping plate 5 with a mobile mould half 4. The mobile mould half 4 has a recess 3 for lifting the mobile contour insert 11.

Connecting bars 8 are integrated between the ejector unit 7, which is connected with the mobile clamping plate 5 of the die casting machine, and the mobile contour insert 11. The mobile mould half 4 exhibits locking bolts 10 between the mobile mould half 4 and the mobile clamping plate 5. Cylinders 9 of a hydraulic quick clamping system of the mould are installed at the mobile clamping plate 5.

A connection 6 is provided between the mobile contour insert 11 and the ejector unit 7.

The water jacket insert (contour insert 11) with sleeves is executed as a slide and permanently connected with the ejector unit 7. The slide is guided by means of four connecting bars 8 (guide pins) in the machine shield (mobile clamping plate 5). A hardened plate is installed as a slide support in the machine shield.

After injecting the molten light metal into a mould to cast the engine block of an in-line engine and after the expiry of the first solidification period, the release of the quick clamping system 9 of the mould is extracted, the mobile clamping plate 4 is shifted/opened by approx. 10 cm and the ejector unit 7 is triggered in the forward direction. Subsequently the release is retracted and the ejector unit 7 is triggered in the reverse direction. Then the contour insert 11 with sleeves is extracted and after the expiry of a second solidification time, the mould is opened. Top and bottom slides which are not described in more detail open and a removal device which is not shown can approach the casting and grab it. Afterwards the lateral slides which are not described in more detail open and the removal device can remove the casting. Consequently, the contour insert 11 (water jacket insert) can already cool down at an early point in time and is subject to less stress.

Finally, the mould is sprayed as usual, the ejector unit 7 advances, the cylinder liners are inserted. The mould is closed, the release of the quick clamping system 9 is retracted and the next shot can take place.

The mobile contour insert 11 itself can also be disassembled and exchanged. To this end, the release of the quick clamping system 9 of the mould is extracted with the mould closed and then the ejector 7 is triggered in the forward direction so that the mobile clamping plate 5 can advance. Subsequently, the entire slide can be removed and a new contour insert 11 can be installed.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   1 Fixed clamping plate -   2 Fixed mould half -   3 Recess -   4 Mobile mould half -   5 Mobile clamping plate -   6 Connection -   7 Ejector unit -   8 Connecting bar -   9 Cylinder -   10 Locking bolt -   11 Contour insert 

1. Molding equipment for the production of complex shape castings, with the molding equipment comprising: a mobile clamping plate and a fixed clamping plate with a mobile mold half and/or fixed mold half arranged next to an associated one of the mobile or fixed clamping plate, with the mobile form half having a water jacket insert and/or contour insert, wherein the contour insert is arranged so the contour insert can be moved by lifting; wherein the molding equipment is designed in such a way that the molding equipment does not require conventional ejector pins to eject a part from the mobile mold half.
 2. Molding equipment according to claim 1, wherein the mobile mold half has a recess for an ejector which can be lifted and is connected with the mobile clamping plate.
 3. A method for the production of moldings by molding equipment having a mobile clamping plate and a fixed clamping plate with a mobile mold half and/or fixed mold half arranged next to an associated on of the mobile or fixed clamping plate with the mobile mold half featuring a contour insert, the method comprising: opening the mold after the expiry of a first solidification period of molten metal, first extracting top and bottom slides and the casting can be grabbed via a grabbing device subsequently extracting lateral slides and providing that the casting can be removed from the mold.
 4. A method according to claim 3, wherein after the expiry of the first solidification period, the mold is unlocked and a mobile contour insert is advanced.
 5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the mobile contour insert is extracted by an ejector which can be lifted.
 6. A method according to claim 3, wherein the sequence of the extracting the slides may be varied depending on the molding requirements.
 7. A method according to claim 4, further comprising having a second solidification period, wherein after expiry of the second solidification period, the mobile clamping plate is extracted. 